| Born
Jan. 7, 1959, in Herrin, Ill., David Lee Murphy worked for
more than 10 years to secure a major label recording contract.
Finally signing with MCA Records, he quickly regained ground
with the success of his debut album, Out With a Bang, in 1995.
He had first been spotted by MCA Nashville president Tony
Brown while leading his country band, Blue Tick Hounds, in
1985. However, a full decade passed before Brown offered him
a contract, though the artist conceded that his former band
was "too edgy for country radio at the time or, at least,
too edgy to get a deal."
In
the intervening period, he worked as a songwriter, penning
"Red Roses Won't Work Now" for Reba McEntire and
"High Weeds and Rust" for Doug Stone. A version
of that song was also included on Out With a Bang, alongside
other original material such as the singles "Fish Ain't
Bitin'" and "Just Once,” featured on the soundtrack
to the film, 8 Seconds, starring Luke Perry.
Out
With a Bang featured Murphy’s first Top 10 single (“Party
Crowd”) and his first No. 1 (“Dust on the Bottle”).
The follow-up album, Getting’ Out the Good Stuff, contained
two more Top 10 singles -- “Every Time I Get Around
You” and “The Road You Leave Behind.” Sales
declined on the second album and, unfortunately, continued
with his last project for MCA, We Can’t All Be Angels.
As
in the past, Murphy again concentrated on songwriting to net
several hits, notably Aaron Tippin’s “People Like
Us” and Trick Pony’s “On a Mission.”
Other songs from his catalog were recorded by Hank Williams
Jr., Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Chris LeDoux and
others.
Murphy
moved to Audium/Koch Records for 2004’s Tryin' to Get
There. He co-wrote the title track with Waylon Jennings. |
